Valtteri Kaasinen
MD, PhD, Professor of Neurology
valtteri.kaasinen@utu.fi |
Clinical Neurology; Movement Disorders; Parkinson's disease; Addictions; Neurotransmitters; Neuroimaging; PET; SPECT; Dopamine System
Movement disorders, neurotransmitters and addictions
Dr. Kaasinen is Professor of Neurology at the University of Turku, and Chief Physician at Neurocenter of Turku University Hospital.
He was appointed as Adjuct Professor of Neurology in 2011, received special competence in medical education in 2016, and was appointed as full Professor of Neurology in 2021.
Dr. Kaasinen is a clinical neurologist and a movement disorder specialist who received his medical degree from the University of Turku in 1996. This was followed by a PhD focusing on brain dopamine PET imaging of Parkinson's disease in 2000. He did his postdoctoral training in 2003-2004 in the University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
Since 2004, he has led a research group that focuses on function brain PET and SPECT neurotransmitter imaging in Parkinson's disease, other movement disorders and behavioral addictions. His group is involved in several project that aim to improve diagnostics and treatment of neurological movement disorders.
Main focus of research is brain function and dysfunction in relation to neurotransmitters, addictions and movement disorders.
Dr. Kaasinen has been involved in curriculum planning and implementation of neurology courses since 2013. He is a personal teacher mentor for medical students and has supervised of several PhD students.
- At the extreme limits of L-DOPA therapy: probable dopamine dysregulation and psychiatric complications in Parkinson’s disease (2026)
- BMJ neurology open
- Identifying Drugs Associated With Parkinson's Disease Risk Using Machine Learning (2026)
- Basic and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology
- Kuolemanjälkeiset neuropatologiset tutkimukset Suomessa (2026)
- Duodecim
- Mapping the Silent Onset of Parkinson's Disease: Monoamine Imaging in the Era of the Race for Preclinical Intervention (2026)
- Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports
- Monoaminergic Networks of Cognitive and Behavioral Symptoms in Early Parkinson's Disease (2026)
- Movement Disorders
- Neuropatologia tieteen ja käytännön rajapinnassa (2026)
- Duodecim
- Psychotropic medication use among community dwellers with and without Parkinson's disease – A nationwide cohort study (2026)
- British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology
- Reply to: “Comments on: “Bipolar Disorder as a Long‐Term Risk Factor for Parkinson's Disease: A Nationwide Case–Control Study”” (2026)
- Movement Disorders
- Striatal dopamine synthesis capacity in Parkinson’s disease: Effects of age, sex, and body mass index in a large [18F]fluorodopa PET cohort (2026)
- NeuroImage: clinical
- Striatal Dopamine Transporter and Rest Tremor in Parkinson Disease (2026)
- Neurology



